Don't Add or Subtract

The mitzvot are immutable.

A king calls in his trusted minister and says: "I have an important mission for you to perform. Go to the neighboring kingdom and meet their leaders. But remember one thing -- under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during this meeting. Now go and do as I say."

The minister sets off on his merry way and soon arrives at the neighboring kingdom. There he heads straight for the palace where he meets with the king. In the midst of their discussion, he sees some of the king's officers pointing and laughing at him.

"Why are you laughing?" asks the visiting minister.

"Because we've never seen someone with such a pronounced hunchback," they say.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a hunchback!"

"Of course you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"We'll bet you one million dollars that you are!"

"Fine -- I'll gladly take your bet."

"Okay, so take off your shirt and prove it."

At which point the minister remembers the parting words of the king... "under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during the meeting." Yet, the minister reasons, a million dollars would certainly bring added wealth to the king's coffers. I know I'm not a hunchback, so I'll surely win the bet. I am certain that under these circumstances the king would approve!

The minister removes his shirt and proudly displays his perfect posture. With pride in his achievement, he holds out his hand, into which is placed a check for one million dollars.

The minister can barely contain his excitement. He quickly ends the meeting and runs back to give the wonderful news to his king. "I earned you a million dollars!" exclaims the minister. "It was easy. I only had to remove my shirt to prove that I wasn't a hunchback."

"You did what?!" shouts the king. "But I told you specifically not to remove your shirt. I trusted that you'd follow instructions, and so I bet the other king $10 million dollars that he couldn't get you to remove your shirt!"

National Standards

The Torah says: "Do not add or subtract from the mitzvot." (Deut. 4:2)

Take the example of driving on Shabbat. Nobody disputes that igniting a combustion engine violates the verse in the Torah: "You shall light no fire on Shabbat." (Exodus 35:2)

But, the argument goes, isn't it better to have people driving to the synagogue than staying home? Isn't this an appropriate exception to Jewish law? Surely God would approve!

The experience of growing up in a Jewish community is lost.

Just like the hunchbacked minister, sometimes we are not aware of the underlying factors. When a community drives on Shabbat, that eliminates the necessity to live together in a single neighborhood. There is no longer a need for the neighborhood Jewish school, Jewish bakery, Jewish clubs, etc. Jewish families become spread throughout the vast suburbs and Jewish children are absorbed into the melting pot of secular norms and attitudes. The experience of growing up in a Jewish community is lost.

Indeed, the dean of a (non-Orthodox) American Jewish rabbinical school said that in retrospect, permitting Jews to drive to synagogue on Shabbat was a "mistake," because it "gave up on the desirability of living close to the synagogue and creating a Shabbos community."

This is not to suggest that Jews should live in some isolated ghetto. But if we are concerned about the problem of assimilation, and want to give our children a unique Jewish experience that will build throughout a lifetime, we need to recognize that sending them to a high school where they are among a lone handful of Jews may actually be encouraging assimilation.

Of course, when it comes to individual observance, Judaism is not all-or-nothing. A person strives to do their best, and no more can be expected. Judaism is a process, a journey, where every step counts.

But on a national level, we can't allow lower standards to be "institutionalized." The strength of Jewish law is its belief that human needs and desires remain consistent throughout history. Once Jewish law is held to redefinition for every family, every society, every generation, it ceases to be effective. The floodgates of "redefinition" open, and the system falls apart.

Certainly there are a variety of factors, but should it be any surprise that 60 percent intermarriage is ravaging our people? Perhaps this is why the Torah, following its command "not to add or subtract," declares:

"You have witnessed what God did with those who followed after alien worship – how they disappeared from your midst. But you who cling to God – you are all alive today." (Deut. 4:3-4)

Primal Mistake

Intuitively, it is understandable why not to subtract from the Torah. But why can't we add to the mitzvot? Isn't doing more always better?

Consider a great work of art. Would you add a few notes to a Bach fugue, or some brushstrokes to a Rembrandt portrait?!

Adding to the mitzvot is not serving God – it is serving oneself with what "feels good." Perfection, by definition, cannot be improved upon. Adding to the Torah implies that God is lacking. It is self-worship of one's own creativity.

Those who add, will come to subtract.

Furthermore, the same subjective judgment which decides to add, is that which eventually lead one to subtract:

In the Garden of Eden, the snake tried to entice Eve to eat from the Tree. "Did God really say not to eat from the Tree?" queried the snake.

"Absolutely," said Eve. "God said we can't eat it, and we can't even touch it" (Genesis 3:3).

At that point, says the Midrash, the snake pushed Eve so that she brushed up against the Tree. "See that!" said the snake. "You touched the Tree and nothing happened. God didn't really mean what He said. You touched it, now go ahead and eat it."

So Eve ate.

Those who add, will come to subtract.

Precise Wiring

Maimonides explains the importance of not tampering with the Torah:

"The Torah explicitly states that its mitzvot will remain binding forever, with neither change, addition nor subtraction... Therefore, if any person will arise – whether Jew or non-Jew – and performs signs and wonders, saying that God sent him to either add or subtract a mitzvah from the Torah... then we immediately know he is a false prophet... For God Himself told Moses that these commandments are for us and for our children forever." (Foundations of Torah 9:1-2)

Jewish law is a precise metaphysical science. For just as removing one wire from your cell phone means that it no longer can pick up reception, so too we mustn't tinker with Jewish law. As King David declares: Torat Hashem Temimah -- "the Torah of God is perfect" (Psalms 19:8). The masterpiece is marred – whether by adding or by subtracting.

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About the Author

Rabbi Shraga Simmons is the co-founder of Aish.com, and co-author of "48 Ways to Wisdom" (ArtScroll). He is Founder and Director of Aish.com's advanced learning site. He is co-founder of HonestReporting.com, and author of "David & Goliath", the definitive account of anti-Israel media bias. Originally from Buffalo, New York, he holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He lives with his wife and children in the Modi'in region of Israel.

My Christian friends are always speaking about “faith.” To me this sounds a lot like blind faith. Is that really the essence of religion?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

I'm afraid that this is another case of a Christian concept being mis-associated with Judaism.

Let's first define our terms. What is faith?

Webster defines faith as "Belief without proof."

What is knowledge? "An acquaintance with truth, facts or principles through study or investigation."

Faith is usually a product of desire. Have you ever gotten a tip on the market that guarantees you're going to triple your money in a month? A lot of smart people have gotten fleeced because they ignored the evidence and went with their feelings.

Knowledge, on the other hand, is based on evidence. We know there's a place called China because we have too many products in our house saying "made in China." There's a lot of evidence for the existence of China, even though most of us have never been there.

Judaism unequivocally comes down on the side of knowledge, not faith. In Deuteronomy 4:39, the Torah says: "You shall know this day, and understand it well in your heart, that the Almighty is God; in the heaven above and the earth below, there is none other." (This verse is also contained in the prayer, "Aleynu.")

This verse tells us that it is not enough to simply know in your head, intellectually, that God is the Controller of everything. You must know it in your heart! This knowledge is much more profound than an intellectual knowledge. God gave us a brain because he wants us to think rationally about the world, our role in it, and our relationship with God.

A conviction based on desire or feelings alone has no place in Judaism. The Hebrew word "emunah," which is often translated as faith, does not describe a conviction based on feelings or desire. It describes a conviction that is based on evidence.

Once this knowledge is internalized, it effects how a person lives. A person with this knowledge could transform every breathing moment into a mitzvah, for he would do everything for the sake of the heaven. But this is not a "knowledge," that comes easily. Only intensive Torah learning and doing mitzvahs can achieve this knowledge. Every word of Torah we learn moves us just a little bit closer to that goal. And everyone is capable of that.

To learn more, read "The Knowing Heart," by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Feldheim.com). This entire book is an explanation of this verse!

In 350 BCE, the building of the second Holy Temple was completed in Jerusalem, as recorded in the biblical Book of Ezra (6:15). The re-building of the Temple had begun under Cyrus when the Persians first took over the Babylonian empire. The re-building was then interrupted for 18 years, and resumed with the blessing of Darius II, the Persian king whom is said to be the son of Esther. The Second Temple lacked much of the glory of the First Temple: There was no Ark of the Covenant, and the daily miracles and prophets were no longer part of the scenery. The Second Temple would stand for 420 years, before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

You shall know this day and consider it within your heart(Deuteronomy 4:39).

Business people who are involved in many transactions employ accountants to analyze their operations and to determine whether or not they are profitable. They may also seek the help of experts to determine which products are making money and which are losing. Such studies allow them to maximize their profits and minimize their losses. Without such data, they might be doing a great deal of business, but discover at the end of the year that their expenditures exceeded their earnings.

Sensible people give at least as much thought to the quality and achievement of their lives as they do to their businesses. Each asks himself, "Where am I going with my life? What am I doing that is of value? In what ways am I gaining and improving? And which practices should I increase, and which should I eliminate?"

Few people make such reckonings. Many of those that do, do so on their own, without consulting an expert's opinion. These same people would not think of being their own business analysts and accountants, and they readily pay large sums of money to engage highly qualified experts in these fields.

Jewish ethical works urge us to regularly undergo cheshbon hanefesh, a personal accounting. We would be foolish to approach this accounting of our very lives with any less seriousness than we do our business affairs. We should seek out the "spiritual C.P.A.s," those who have expertise in spiritual guidance, to help us in our analyses.

Today I shall...

look for competent guidance in doing a personal moral inventory and in planning my future.

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